First you will need a base to place the solar cells on in order to make a panel. You need enough solar cells (about 80) to layout a fairly large surface area. You will notice that there are two distinct sides to a solar cell.

The front looks kind of a blue color while the back looks very much like the back of a mirror. It is essential that you set up the cells with the blue or upper surface facing toward the sun.

putting solar cells together

Each solar cell will create not much more than one half a volt DC usually. The voltage remains the same. As the size of the cells increase, depending on what you get, the current or amperage will increase.

You can place the solar cells out on the floor before you begin, like a deck of cards. Leave a space between each cell of about one quarter inch. Arrange the cells in rows until you have a shape that is pleasing to you. You want to make the finished panels slightly narrower in the width so they are easier to handle, but you can do as you like.

Once you have the cells laid out in the pattern you want, measure the outside dimensions of the rows. You need to know how big to make the backing board. You will attach the solar panels to this board so you need to know how big it is.

backing board of solar cells

With 80 cells you should end up with a panel that produces approximately 100 watts of power.

You can use some plywood or any kind of strong lumber. The nice thing about the plywood is that you don’t have to join it together. After getting the outside measurements we assess what glass we will have to cover the upper portion of the panel. You can put 2 inch spacers on top with a ventilation space around the panels as well.

The glass will usually need a support in the middle too so leave room for that as well.

Let’s say that the layout of the cells added up to a size of 24 inches wide and 40 inches high including the spaces between the cells. If we wanted a 2 inch spacer in the middle and all the way around the outside to support the glass then our plywood should be cut to 30 inches by 46 inches. In this way we could fit the cells on the plywood and still have support for the glass.

Before you begin to put the cells down on the plywood we first treat the plywood with an epoxy sealer that is designed for UV protection. It sinks right into the wood and protects it long term from the weather.

The holes in the dividers will have the wires from the cells meeting and joining to form the circuitry of the panel. The holes also allow a certain amount of ventilation too. Make sure you put at least 3 coats of the epoxy on everything as it will be exposed to some rough weather at times.

Get any kind of soldering gun with at least 25 watt and use silver bearing solder for soldering purposes, which you will need in the next step.

In our next post: connecting the cells together…

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Hello, welcome to these series of posts on how to build home made solar panels.

First you will need a few tools and a comfortable work space. You will be doing some wood work as well as electronic work so a nice comfortable workbench and chair are ideal.

Things you’ll need…

Cordless drill, soldering iron (small pen type), pliers, hammer, caulking gun and miscellaneous nuts and screws

This is a picture of the back of a solar cell, the building blocks of solar panels. Several of these small cells which are about the size of your hand go into the making of a solar panel. Mostly we use monocrystalline solar cells.

Back of solar panel

This picture shows you the component parts of a solar cell. They are small and very fragile until they are mounted.

Solar panel choices

Solar panels are probably the simplest form of renewable energy. There are no moving parts and there are installations in place with only minor maintenance for over 20 years.

How does thes sun make electricity?

Simply put, the cells inside of a solar panel convert the sun’s energy into electricity. Photo Voltaic cells are normally fabricated using special semiconductor materials that allow electrons, which are energized when the material is exposed to sunlight, to be freed from their atoms.

These cells are what you will have to obtain in order to build your own solar panels. Lots of people mistake solar cells for solar panels; just remember, that it takes many small solar cells to make one large solar panel, like putting together lego blocks or piling firewood in your backyard.

Once freed, the electrons can move through the material and carry an electric current. The current flows in one direction (like a battery), and thus the electricity generated is termed direct current (DC).

Just under the surface of a solar panel are small thin pieces of semiconductor material called cells. These cells, usually a series of cells aligned in rows, make up the panel.

The cells that make up the panel are made of silicon in most cases, and are treated with phosphorous or boron. As light strikes the cells it is captured by the semiconductor material. This is known as the photovoltaic effect.

In our next post more about the Photo Voltaic effect. Stay tuned.